Spring pivot hinge



Oct. 13, 1931.

W. J. KEENE SPRING PIVOT HINGE Filed Jan. '10, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 13, 1931.

w. J. KEENE SPRING PIVOT HINGE File d Jan. 10, 1929 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zfl aZ/awpw/Zeene,

hinge of novel construction wherem the :5'0' Figure4;

" 1 hinge and door' ineither direction from a prep-V 'i SB 'V lGS 74 Patented. O t I 55? issmubm emerge.

A p ranger enicne -rnt nors, A conrona on". or IL moIs j;

This invention relates 2 is an'enlarge'dendfelevationlookihg v I and more especially to a saglessspring pivot toward the free, end of the gate; 1 o hinge for hanging gates or dwarf djors,,parvVI1"ig .-3:is a sectional plan .vi'ewtaken on lthe ticularly'of thedouble actingitypee i 1 section-line 3 3fof Figured. An important provide a spring hingeof the. haracter speoil -+4: of Figure 3.

fied,more particularlya doilble-aotingsprlng 5is a-Vertical section taken'online f spring serves :tooppose inovement of the Figs, .6, 7 ,8 and 9"aresectionaliriewsvtaken det ermined or'centralpositionand in which o F g e a j 5 f means is provided-for easily adjusting the :Flg. 10518311 elevatl'on of thehingepmtle,

tension of the spring after the gate has been 0? 1 I v hung to facilitate properly adapting the Fig-11 is an enlargediragmentary secobject of theinvention; to Fig-v4 is'a sectionalwiew taken =5 215 hinge to the surroundingconditions. tional view showing thebracket for support,- 5 v v A further objectof the invention 1s to proi gthe hingedpin eiandraligning' t Pi t vide'an adjustingxmeanswhich'iscompar'a Of'theg tB-Q 7 tively indiscerniblel f a 1-3 Another object of the invention is to pm; tionline 12+:12ot Figure l1, andi ,20 vide an adjnstablepintle W1 irigxieis aSeamanviewttken dnthat;

the looking deaf Fig.18-is a planview oneknuaattaa 5 i mice which permits thejvsett'ng ofthedoor to" employed With theipintle, snppOrtihganadv remain at'rest in any desired position inter-j justingabracket. 1

mediately'or :at:either-' =side,-in addition to- Referring-tothedrarringsiinidetail, :13 iii v providingya-"doubl-acting pringhinge in dicat esf a partitionsiich as used in oflices-or x whichzthe mechanism is'h'oused so that allot compartments. 5 designatesalgateior warf 751;

the "operating partsare enclosed 1-and held door 'adaptedto be pi'voted thereto by means against displacement. 1 w iofiniy novel hinge structures which are indi- Another objeet of the inventiow is to pro- 'catedasawholeat 15;and-16:respectively ide, ahearing bracketlfor t e pintle inthe. The-latterstructure comprises a'olonlole-aet 3o natnre of a-ball and socket-joint 'Which' will ing spring'hinge'whioh maintains the-gatel4 0 I automatically center itself or may he'easily ina predetermined. position'and permits 'itito adjusted to align the pivots 'of the gate or swing either-Way. This hinge'strilctureieom-f v door to causethe latter to hang-plumb;and prisesfa barrel or ,cylinder17 in theforr'n'fof 'preventhinding and' friction 'ibetw'een the an invertedicup-shap'ed' casing which -fits 351- parts by reason 01? beingofi center and posiagainst and is seouredto'the lower edge "of tively clamped or held in adjusted position the gate Ordoorl as bymeans of screws-18 I i so that it Wl1l. l10i3'Shlfl3 but 'Willremain 1n extending'through-aperturesinran extension alignment, especially should the-bottom edge '19 extendinglaterally from thelcasi'ngl'? at 1 oft-he door'an'dathusthe top of the hinge not the top. 'The casing'and extension arefla't on j i. c I

7 4o; beperpendicular tothe'attaching side of'the "the top except for an axial extension 20 in=the go bracket or the pintle--perpendieular to I the form of a bearing sleeve closedat thetop and :7

I hearing portion'ofthe' bracket,thereby elimiprojecting from the top-ofggthe v;cas1ng 1 natingbinding: and;excessiveiriction bewhich latterisoircular in horizontal'.section.

V tween the parts in use? 1 I 4 The extension 20 isreceived inaoounterbore- 4.5 i Other objectsandadvantages will'be 'apdrilled-inth'e vloIW' parent as-the description'proceeds, q 1 i- In the 'acconopanyingv drawings eriedge ofthedoor and i serves to anchor'the casingagainst shifting at LI 7 this pointi "It' alsoofornis a se'atz-for the up j v l'iS a frontielevation show nga'gateor per endofa stem'fo'rfpintle '21 and' is apfrefer I door hung fby-the novel hingeconstitnting I ably formed with,=an -annularfiballiraoeiior v 'J 1 thesubieetinaaerfithe p esent nre i -qg ball, ar gs fl e nst ieh bm 1 P It will be noted that the upper portion of the pintle is enlarged with respectto thereduced portion 24 immediately therebeneath,

which portion is formed witha substantially radially extending abutment lug 25 near its upper end. Below the reduced portion 24, the normal diameter of the formed therebeneath, having a peripheral groove 28 extending around approximately a little more than one-half the circumference thereof. The lower end is still further reduced as indicated at29 andthreaded. This reducedportion results in a downwardly facing shoulder 30 at the lower'end of the portion 27, which is larger in diameterthan the portion 29. The shoulder 30 is madeplain or smooth but becomes notched or knurled by the knurling or'teeth of a washer biting into the shoulder as indicated at 31, particularly as seen in Figure 11 of the drawings. v j

At one side of the casing 17 is an internal vertically extending rib 32 and at the opposite side an enlargement or external rib 33, each of which has a threaded aperture atthe lower end for receiving screws 34, whereby a bottom plate 35 may be. secured over the lower open end of the casing 17 for enclosing and holding assembled, themechanism of the spring hinge. It is, of course,to be un-j derstoodthat the bottom'plate 35 has suitable openings through which the screws 34 "extend. This plate also has a central and relatively enlarged circulaiflopening 36 prefer ably reinforced by a depending flange 3'? ex tending around the opening to afford a hearing for a sleeve 54 formed on alcollar' 51. The lower end of the pintle or stem 21 extends through the sleeve 54 and projects down con siderably therefrom. 1

The flange-37 is provided with a cut-away portion or recess 38, or the flange 37 may be considered as a projection on the bottom plate for a purpose to be hereinafter made more fully apparent. The projecting end'of V the pintle extends through a circular opening 39 in the upper horizontal portion of a bracket 40, thebracketbeing of angular formation and provided with a depending part or side flange 41, or otherwise constructed so as to be secured tothe post, partition, orrailing 13, or any other support to which the gate is desired to be attached, as by means of screws 42. v 1

The pintle is held against turning movement in the bra eke" angularlyadjusted at this end for aligning the lower pivot formed pintle results in a" shoulder 26 and another reduced portion 2 7 V 40'but is adapted to be by the pintle with the upper pivot of the gate, as will be later described, in order that there will be no binding on the pivots and so that the gate may be properly adjusted to hang true or plumb and also by turning the pintle axially, properly adjusted with respect to the amb or edge of a co-acting door. A washer 43 is mounted on the...pintle 21 against the plainshoulder 30, as at 31, and the upper face of the washer is knurled, as indicated zit-44 to bite into the shoulder 30. The bottomface of the washer 43 is also knurled and rounded in convex formatiomas indicated at 45, to seat in a corresponding concavity or recess 46 in the top of the bracket arm 40 around and concentric to the opening 39 therethough, the face of re cess 46 being rough.

Ttshould' be noted that the lower portion of the pintle, which is threaded, fits loosely in'theopening 39 so that it may be adjusted aterally'or angularly in a vertical arc, and universally in an arc of 360 degrees horizontally, so as to secure proper alignment of the pivots, that is, the lower pivot formed by the pintle and the upper pivot of the gate, to be mentioned hereinafter. The bottom face of the bracket arm40 is also made convex, as indicatedat 47, concentric to the faces 45 and 46 so as to cause the pintle to automatically center itself in'the bracket to pre vent binding. A nut 48 is threaded on the pintle end29 and its top face is concave as at 49 to fit the convexity 47 in any position of adjustment of the pintle. angularly in the opening 39. Then by tightening thenut, the co-acting faces will be forced together and by reason of the knurled surfaces 44 and 45 gripping the downwardly facing plain shoulder30 ofthe pintle and the roughsurface46, respectively, together with the friction be tween the parts caused by the binding engagement and conformity of the concaved face 49 ofthe' nut48 with the convex surface 47' of the bracket 40. the parts will be positively held against relative rotation and lateral displacement when once adjusted and will not slip out of alignment as it would if the top 'face of the nut were flat.

By the construction just described, the pintle 21 is held against turning movement. At the upper and lower ends respectivelv of the pintle 21 within the casing 17 are collars 50 and 51 which loosely engage the pintle. The upper collar 50 is mounted upon the enlargement at the upper end of the intle above the abutment lug 25. This collar is provided with a segmental flange 52 terminating in a shoulder 53'adapted to engage the abutment 25 in a clockwise direction, as seen in Figures 5 and 7, the latter figure being a section looking upwardly. The'lower collar 51 is mounted on the reduced portion 2? of the pintle 21 and has a depending sleeve portion 54 extending down through theenlarged opening 36 in the bottom plate 35 in whichit lei {team-see v 1:

hasa bearing. .Nearits" lowenend the "sleeve [pin 561will move way'from its shouller, there I portion iis providediwithaseries'ofiradial1by1-creatingaQtensionof the spring which r c 'holes 55 adapted tocrecei-ve azpin.56Q-whi ch-is' serves to returnthe gatevor'door to the norg, exposed in the recess "orEcut-awayaportion 38 malpositiongin theopposite direction,;when i of the fiange=37 and;has,anenlargenientlorareleased= bothinstances,the gatewill-befl flange 57 adapted to limit its inward displzuze returned to neutral position automatically 1 nent intosth'e' groove-528.: iThisstructuie ,by theIspr-ing 58 regardlessgoi= the direction Qfords anadjustable stop-or limiting nieansiii'i in which tlie-i'gate isswungijw I -Iowever, "thef connection with theflowern'collargbimcorre-- tension or -the'spring,1nay" be easilyadjusted spending to the fixed stopforthezuppervcol afterathe gat hi s e hung by simply iiir5 v I lar provided by the shoulder 53 oftheseg-i serting a" pin in one of the openings and mental flange 52:and Serves as a means for --turn;1ng,the collar 151; 'After w1thdraw1ng p the collars 50 and-51 andteleseopes on the by-turningyi none direction,

' regulating, i. e., increasing or decreasing the tjliiefpin156 ,Ithen reinserting' it in another,

tension of a Spring 58 which extends between op ning v 55 accordi the tension desired l the tension may it lower and upper extremitiesrespectivelyof :beincrea'sed, and by'turmn-g n the opposite these collars againsttheir annula'rffian'ge's 59' :dire'eti'en,thetension will be lessened; or may; 1

and GO respectively; The ends ofthe spring berelease'd entinely. Thi's isa very-desirable are bent inwardly as shown-at, 61 vto engage featureto adapt the' hinge to conditions, de-

, 1 in vertical grooves 62 of the flanges 59 and -pending' upon the tension desired or the age 7' v p respectively so that they tension of theg-weight ofthegateor door:

i spring serves to hold the shoulder 58 againilt A l z lhe companlonzhinge' structure 15 which 5 the abutment 25 and a projection 63 against emp oyed in connectioniwlth the. hinge the rih32, while the pin 56, is held against one structure 16Lior pivotally mounting thedoor shoulder of thefiange 37 producedby the iqr-gaterili lgniay be of, nyfdes red type. gm

cut-out 38. 7 I s ldowevenjl prefer to employthe construction The shoulder or projection 63 engaging the shown i s e j 3 an 4 w i p s a rib 32 serves for the Purpose of connecting i l "W is 111 1 69 191 911d the spring tothe casing'lY, so that the 0per-- T-of the Qateand is SBQHYBdl XS S-5 P 3 3- Y ation of the gate or door is under the control ingi,th1 iHll iS t& aperturesin h P t v of'the spring. Theprojectionfig normally Thi ate ,hasa SOCkGt-fifi iorming a bearing p engages onelside' of the rib, 32 and the pin 56 13 v hermally engages one endvofthe flange 37 st) a that the gate maybe swung in an angle ofjizontal 1 vpin stud 6T onjthe'underside of the angular bracket arm 68. he arm hasahon 1T131OIlfWl1 cal or fla-nge portion 69 whieh may 19 about 180 degrees. Assuming. that the gate" v i 'hprovidedwith apinis swung in the direction off the 'arrow'IX in ef cu ed a ,P te P i J f l l v Tj 1-1' -e 7 the rib' 32 will'i-otate with the givn an uitableimanner, as by. 1131652115, of v ,c I

ing 17 in a olockwise direction, moving the 7 screws 70.,

7 projection 63 and thepcollar 50 with itso that An" it e'frlction "or ball l isprefi I stationary stop'or abutment 25 onthe stem or aroundthe ,sgclrtbfi and has a;

the collar 51 andthe lower end of the s ring the shoulder 53 will be withdrawn from the army recess'edlintolthe enet theplate 6%; $3 a p pair ofracepintle 21. Inasmuch as the lower end of the wayslor'f cups j'receiving the balls'ftherebe spring 58 is eonn'ectedto the collar 51and the j tween, the inner soup b i g friction al yheld' upperend of thejspring is connected to'the" "on the iniGfZJsOthatthe gate may freelyturn v aronthe parts In conjunetionwith this with the stop'or abutment 25 ofthefpintle' 21, I p I c p top 'bearing orpivot; the adjustmentlof the,

collar 50, which has the shoulder 53 engaged; at {this point. withoutaundue, frictionv and mo will be held by the pin 56 against-turning lower endof thepintle 21 angularlv in'a hor "5' I movement, with the result that the swinging; izontalgdirection o'rjarc substantially COIlQIlf of the gate in the direction ,ofthe arrow X tricltothe top o'flthe pintleend theto plVQt m 5 puts the spring 58 under 'suifiefent tension so" ozfilthe doon'willpermit proper alignment on that when the gate is released, it is returned the piyot's so that the door may be properly I f bythe spring to the normal position,- On fittedhridwill swing true, veven thousrhythje the other hand, when the ate is swung-in bottomedfre of the dmriemmmjn to the {the direction indicated bythje arrow in partition;-13; I, v p I Figure 7, a reverse action of thespring w mechanism takes pl'acethat is, theprojec-l the shoulder 53 with the stationary abutment Previously, the pin 56 is engaged with yention irralpreie endof the groove or reeess28 n the olntle-2l -jvar i vand as the lower collar-s51 is thus rotated,f-the nd, V c i The (adjustment oi thepintle and springer}. t lo k g d v c ni 1h accomplished without dismantling thepart anrlperinitssettingiofthe tion 63 will tend to moveiaway from the rib 32 but this is prevented by engagement of f 25, causing the collar 50 to remain stationary Ytion'. while the sprin is pressed undentens onx h I haveshown described- 1115;; inf V r'redlforln, I ain-aware that Dd: wresinay t be i remain at rest in any desired posit.

filer-ti e a if one or" said holes and moved and then reinserting the principles of the invention, the scope of which may be determined by reference to the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 7

1. In a spring pivot hinge, a bracket adapted to be secured to a support, a casing adapt-' ed to be secured to a swinging element having a hearing at the top, a pintle pivoted in the bearing and having its lower end engaged in the bracket with means for lateral adjustment and held against turning movement, an abutment on the pintle, the casing having an internal rib, collars loosely engaged on the upper and lower portions of thepintle'and each orovided with a fian e havin a 'roove b D D 7 one collar flange having a'shoulder adapted to engage the abutment, said collar also having a lateral projection adapted 'to engage the rib, a coil spring extending betweenthe collars and having its ends bent inwardlyto engage the grooves to hold the shoulder against the abutment and the projection against the rib, a bottom plate on the casing having a. depending circular flange with a cut-away portion and central circular openingmuch larger than the pintle, the lower collar being formed with a sleeve bearing in the flange around the pintle and having a series of radial holes, the pintle having a peripheral recess in line with the holes producing end shoulders, and a pin disposed in the cut-away portion for engagement with the recess, said pin normally engaging ashoulder in one end of the cut-away portion of the flange andxat one end of the recess and adapted tobe interchangeably engaged in anotherot said holes for adjusting the tension of the spring. I

In a spring pivot hinge, a casing, a stationary pintle, a spring in the casing, means co-acting between the spring, pintle and casing to cause winding of the spring upon actuation of a door or other swinging element to which the casing is attached, said means including collars mounted on the pintle and to whichtheends of the spring are connected, one dollar having a sleeve extending through the casing around the pintle, the casingbeing formed with stops, and a pin displaceably engageable in an opening in the sleeve and adapted to engage one of said stops whereby the tension of the spring may be adjusted eXteriorly of the casing by turning the sleeve and its collar with the pin re- 3. In a spring hinge of the class described, the combination of a pair of hinge members, a pintle secured to one of said members and engaging the other for pivotally connecting the same, spaced collars rotatably mounted on saidpintle between said hinge parts, a torsion spring surrounding said pintle, ex-

tending between said collars and connected atits opposite ends to said collars, means for connecting one of said collars to said pintle and to one ofsaid hinge members for permitting rotation of the collar'around the pintle in onedirection only, and adjustable means for similarly connecting the other collar to 

